Do you have to play the Five Nights at Freddy’s games before watching the movie?

Five Nights at Freddy’s, based on the video game franchise of the same name, is in theaters (and Peacock) Friday, Oct. 27. Curious to watch it but have never played any of the games? What Five Nights lore should you know ahead of the movie?

Spooky season is in full swing! In fact, the weekend of Oct. 27 is pretty much Halloween weekend as it is the last weekend of the month and Halloween falls on a Tuesday this year. That said, we’re all finishing up the final touches in our costumes, planning a killer Halloween bash, and checking off horror movies to watch. On our list, we have a fun mix of old favorites and new debuts, which includes Five Nights at Freddy’s. 

Now, I don’t know about you, but I have never played a Five Nights game. Being completely honest, I know close to nothing about the story. If you are on the same boat, I did a little research so you don’t have to!

Do you have to know any Five Nights at Freddy’s lore before the movie?

In short, no, you don’t. That’s right, you can walk into the theater blind without knowing anything about the games or history. From what we learned, the movie features its own story based on the popular video game characters. All you need to know will be included in the movie. Even the games are not all the same and often tell different stories. These stories may connect, but can also be enjoyed separately.

If you would still like to know about the games, without playing them, Game Rant did a great job breaking everything down. It has not been updated since October 2022, but no other game has come out since, so it’s an excellent source.

An upcoming new game, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted 2, is scheduled to drop December 2023.

Is the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie streaming on Peacock?

Yes! Not only do you not need to know anything about the video games before watching the movie, but you can enjoy it from the comfort of your own home. Five Nights is set to stream on Peacock on the same day the movie premieres in theaters, Oct. 27. This is a lot less risky than going to theaters hoping you’ll like what you see. So, whether or not you played the games, if you’re on the fence about the movie, streaming it on Peacock is a safe bet. When and where will you be watching?

Five Nights at Freddy’s follows Mike Schmidt, a security guard who takes a night shift job at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a family entertainment and pizza restaurant center. Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza is now an abandoned building, only inhabited by its four animatronic mascots: Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy. The robots are harmless! Well, that is, unless you stay over after midnight.

The movie stars Josh Hutcherson as Mike Schmidt, Elizabeth Lail as Vanessa, Piper Rubio as Mike’s baby sister Abby, Matthew Lillard as Steve, and others. Voicing Freddy, is Kevin Foster. Five Nights is rated PG-13 for strong violent content, bloody images, and language.